What it is
Name.com is a domain registrar with a deliberately simple interface and far fewer adjacent products than the larger players.
It does registration, DNS, transfers and privacy, and it does not spend the checkout process trying to sell you a website builder.
It is a reasonable alternative to Namecheap if you prefer its interface, and the difference between them is preference rather than substance.
What it does
Registration and renewal across common extensions, with an interface that makes DNS records genuinely easy to find and edit.
Free WHOIS privacy on eligible domains, which is now the expected standard and still not universal.
Transfers in and out without obstruction, which sounds trivial until you have dealt with a registrar that makes leaving difficult.
They also offer hosting and email, and as with every registrar, use specialists for those instead.
Who it's for
Features
Pros and cons
Pricing
| PLAN | WHAT YOU GET | WORTH IT FOR |
|---|---|---|
| Standard registration | One year with privacy included. | Most registrations. |
| Renewal | Modestly above the cheapest registrars. | Predictable rather than cheap. |
| Transfer in | Usually adds a year at a competitive rate. | Escaping an expensive registrar. |
| Premium names | Marketplace pricing. | Compare before buying. |
A small premium over the cheapest registrars, with no hidden costs and privacy included.
Standard one-year registration with privacy and two-factor authentication on. Host and email elsewhere.
Alternatives
My verdict
Name.com is a good registrar with no serious flaws and no decisive advantage. The interface is the nicest of the mainstream options and DNS editing is the clearest, which matters if you do it often.
Against Namecheap it is slightly more expensive and slightly more pleasant. Either is a sound choice, and the important thing is that you own the account rather than which of the two you pick.
If price is the deciding factor, Cloudflare sells at cost and Porkbun is cheap. If interface quality is, this is the one.
Try Name.com →Who should use it
Who should avoid it
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Affiliate disclosure
Some links on this page are affiliate links. If you buy through one, I may earn a commission at no extra cost to you, and it never changes the price you pay. It also does not decide what appears on this page: I recommend tools with no affiliate programme just as readily, and leave off tools with generous ones when they do not deserve the space.